The present invention pertains to fastening means and pertains particularly to a toggle bolt wing nut retaining device.
Toggle bolts having expandable wing nuts are commonly used for attachment in blind bores in walls. Blind bores are typically bores in which access to the opposite side of the wall panel is not available for the worker to hold and retrieve nuts and the like for a bolt. Various types of lag bolts and so-called toggle bolts are available on the market. Such bolts typically have an expandable nut which is retained in a retracted or minimum diameter condition until inserted into the bore and is then expanded either automatically or by force to prevent the nut from pulling out through the hole. Such blind bores typically exist where a wall consists of spaced apart panels having a dead air space therebetween. Such wall structure exists in most homes and buildings today. The attachment of articles or fixtures to the walls for such buildings require the use of toggle bolts having wing nuts and/or some type of expandable nut.
Toggle bolts operate satisfactory in most situations. However, where it is necessary to remove the bolt or fixture and re-attach it, the wing nut is typically lost in the wall space. It is then necessary to obtain or use another wing nut. This becomes a problem where the attachment or the placement of fixtures on walls requires the removal and attachment of the fixture several times before final installation. Under such circumstances, a number of wing nuts are lost in the process. Such wing nuts are typically expensive because of the manufacturing complications thereof and the manufacturing processes required. A typical example is the expandable wing nut having a central nut portion and a pair of wings pivotally attached to the central nut portion and expandable outward into a maximum open condition by means of springs or the like. Such nuts cannot typically be removed from a wall structure once installed and also cannot be retained in place in the bore or behind the bore of the wall panel without the support of the bolt.
Accordingly it is desirable that some apparatus be available for retaining the wing nut in place and retrieving the wing nut when desirable.